While Kanellos is in Frankfurt, scoping out Electric Vehicles and hanging out with Lamborghinis and models, I'm listening to panels at the Always On Going Green summit. Late Tuesday we heard from a great selection of EV makers and investors in a panel on "Smart Sustainable Automobiles."    

Frank Markus, Technical Editor, Motor Trend Magazine was the moderator of a session that tried to answer questions such as:

• What design is destined to be the car of the future? Extended range EV with onboard ICE generators?
• All electric quick-charge vehicles?
• EVs with battery-swap capabilities? Clean biodiesels?  Hydrogen fuel cell powered cars?
• All of the above?

The panelists represented a wide range of auto startups, from utilitarian vehicles to luxury, "zero trade-off" cars. Here are some of the panelists' comments:

Trae Vassallo, Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers addressed the hydrogen question.

• "No on hydrogen" and fuel cell cars – "not for a while."
• "The big obstacle is the battery. There is no silver bullet."
• "I personally like an electric drive train – it's just inherently more efficient."
• KP wanted to unvest in a "zero tradeoff car."
• Included in the KP transportation portfolio is the beautifully styled Fisker Karma. 

Kevin Czinger, CEO, Coda Automotive

• Coda is in a $200 million JV with Lishen battery, China's main state-owned rechargeable battery company and has teamed with a Chinese chassis maker.
• "Our approach to is accelerate the adoption of EVs. In order to have an EV industry, you have to have an auto grade battery system – manufactured at scale."
• "We are going to be close to competitive on day one with internal combustion vehicles."
• "If you're not under $500 per kWh – you're not going to be competitive"
• "We expect to deliver mass volume in the Fall of next year at a price close to $30,000 with incentives"
• "We 100 percent believe that lithium-ion phosphate can have a long long life as a battery chemistry."

 

Paul Wilbur, CEO, Aptera

• Aptera builds the stylish composite-bodied, three-wheeled Aptera. Aptera "doesn't want to be in the battery business."
• "We don't think the chemistries today are the long term solutions," said Wilbur, adding,  "We rather focus on the physics of the car – weight and aerodynamics"
• A Chevy Volt is going to weigh 3000 to 3500 pounds versus 1,800 pounds for the Aptera.
• The CEO claimed that the Aptera's 0.15 coeff of drag is the best in the world and that the Aptera contains the smallest battery pack of any EV in the world.  The vehicle has three wheels to improve aerodynamics.

Reuben Munger, Chairman, Bright Automotive

• "The cheapest way to buy range is with the internal combustion engine."
• Bright is trying to combine a plug in hybrid architecture with an ICE  and use as little battery as possible in the near term.
• What's Bright had doen is look at the least efficient vehicle – the delivery and service van where customers are getting 10 mpg driving 50 miles a day.
• "It's really about economics – focused on the buyer looking to save money today."

JB Straubel, CTO, Tesla Motors

• "We are vertically integrated around power train technology."
• A key approach from the beginning was to not be involved in battery chemistry.  Sourcing high-performance and cost-effective cells has, "allowed us to be cost effective."
• "We are open to a battery swapping architecture but quick charge will be the nearer term solution." Battery swap is challlenged by the lack of uniform battery design.